06/06/2014
By Andy Moore, Athlete Career Transition
Athletes have something special that makes them stand out from a crowd; their will to win and multitude of talents are magic ingredients which every businessperson wants to harness. The athlete, whether literal or metaphorical, has a mentality which can act as a catalysing force within your business.
Here are six reasons why you want these people on your team:
1-Born to win
The athletic psyche wants to win and those who possess it won’t stop applying themselves until their goals are achieved. When a target has been defined, athletes instinctively draw up realistic time-framed objectives to take the most direct route possible to success. They are not discouraged by setbacks but stay focused on the solution. Athletes are a natural source of clarity and productivity, and their can-do mentalities are contagious.
2-Athletes always find a way
When faced with obstacles, champions adapt. Like a fox getting into the hen-house, athletes always find a way through; they know what’s going on, what needs to be done and approach problems dynamically. An awareness that they’re always learning means athletes do not persist with ineffective methods but keep amending their approach to make progress.
3-Efficiency
Athletes can kill a whole flock of birds with one stone. They know how vital it is to work efficiently, which not only helps to optimise their own productivity but that of those around them. Champion performers are skilled in spotting and eliminating sloppiness.
4-Entrepreneurialism
Across the board athletes are big thinkers driven by belief. The ability to hold the whole picture in mind whilst staying focused on individual pieces of the strategic puzzle marks this breed of professional out from the average employee.
5-Directness without compromise
An athlete knows there’s no cheating the system and that being professional doesn’t start and end with wearing a suit to work. What you give your attention to is what thrives and athletes are living proof that taking care of the small things - diet, sleep and fitness - pays dividends in the quality of day-to-day performance at work.
6-Team player
Athletes know great things are achieved by people working together. They know how vital it is to lend support and dwell on the positives in all situations, rather than getting hung up on negatives and shouting people down which impacts on the entire team.
Finally, consider how tricky it is for employers to locate prospective workers who are in possession of the essential skill-set: adaptability, team-work skills, determination, commitment, and a whole host of other abstract, hard-to-disprove terms that get diligently thrown on the table at some point in any application process. By default, athletes possess these qualities in spades. Put them in a different environment and watch latent abilities flower in ways you never expected.
